As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.
Even in the wizarding world, it still holds true.
Though Penelope's face showed little outward reaction, her heart was already filled with deep, unmistakable regret.
Because she was smart enough to understand one thing clearly.
Putting aside, for now, whether the Ministry of Magic might resort to silencing people permanently, the mere fact that this involved "that person" was enough to prove it was no small matter.
She could very well be dragged into something dangerous, and the other side wouldn't go easy on her just because she was underage.
After all, that was Voldemort.
But...
Penelope subtly shrank back, trying to make herself less noticeable. At the same time, she cast a doubtful look toward Draco.
"The real question is, is this information the Ministry wants to keep hidden, or something they're trying to extract from The Quibbler?"
Unlike Ginny and the others, Penelope immediately caught the dual meaning in Draco's words.
It could be about keeping a secret… or obtaining one.
In any case—
While Penelope was still turning it over in her mind, Ginny Weasley had already grown agitated because of Harry Potter.
If there was anyone present who reacted most strongly to Luna's earlier words, it was undoubtedly Ginny, given how close she was to Harry Potter.
Whether out of personal concern or otherwise, she had to get to the bottom of this.
By now, she had completely forgotten why she'd approached Draco in the first place. Looking anxious, she grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook hard.
"Harry's not in danger, right? Wait—I get it! Is this why the Ministry of Magic has been keeping such a close eye on him lately?"
"Ugh… I'm getting dizzy…"
"I need to tell Sirius and Tonks. They have to keep an eye on those Ministry wizards. Oh—and I should remind Harry to watch out for Umbridge too."
In her panic, Ginny didn't realize what she had just revealed.
She was worried about Harry, yes—but in just a few sentences, she had inadvertently exposed several crucial pieces of information to everyone present.
Penelope and Luna might not grasp the implications right away, and might not even think about it later.
But Draco, sitting across from them, was different.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
So… just as I thought. The Weasley family has already thrown in their lot with Dumbledore.
Sirius?
Tonks?
Aside from the familiar Sirius Black, Draco also committed the name Tonks to memory.
Maybe he could look into that surname.
And Sirius's whereabouts… it seemed Dumbledore had already pulled him out of the Ministry's hands.
...
Faced with Ginny's agitation, Luna, who had just been lost in thought, gently shook her head.
Still a little dizzy, she spoke softly.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, Ginny."
Ginny's eyes widened at Luna's complete lack of urgency.
"That's the Dark Lord! And aren't you worried about your father at all?"
"I am worried."
"..."
Ginny opened her mouth, only to feel deflated by Luna's calm response.
Just as she was about to say more, Draco suddenly cut in.
"You mentioned the latest issue of The Quibbler. Do you have a copy? If you do, I'd like to take a look."
"No… It's like the Ministry of Magic already knew. They took over everything related to The Quibbler, banned its publication and distribution, and arrested my father along with several of the editors."
"…I see."
Draco had already expected this, so he wasn't disappointed. The Ministry of Magic was more than capable of handling something like this cleanly. There was no way they would allow the contents to spread.
If anything, if not for the previous incident that made Umbridge suspect a connection between Luna and Draco, Luna might have been taken away by the Ministry just like her father.
What did surprise Draco was that the Ministry had known in advance and acted so quickly to shut everything down.
Looks like there's a mole inside The Quibbler…
In any case.
Although he couldn't learn the contents of the prophecy from Luna, and still didn't fully understand what the "Lost Prophecy" was, the Ministry's reaction alone made one thing clear.
This prophecy had to be extremely important.
It might even affect the balance of power with Voldemort.
Could he approach Umbridge directly… as an ally?
Or… get the information from Harry Potter?
Resting his chin on his hand, Draco considered where he might find a way in.
This had already gone far beyond what he initially expected.
He lifted his gaze toward the girls across from him.
"I have a general idea of what's going on now."
"So, what are you going to do?"
Ginny had originally come to Draco out of concern for Luna. But now that she knew the matter also involved Harry Potter, she hesitated.
She wasn't sure whether she should leave this to Draco.
After all…
She knew very well that the divide between them wasn't something that could be resolved with a few words.
...
Ginny's hesitation was written all over her face, and Draco noticed it immediately.
He could more or less guess what she was thinking and why.
But toward someone he barely had any dealings with, Draco had no interest in offering reassurance or explanations.
"Then that's it. If there's any new information, you can reach me through Goyle and Crabbe."
"..."
"..."
With that, he left without another word, paying no attention to anyone else.
If you put it nicely, he was decisive.
Less kindly, he simply did as he pleased.
Penelope and Ginny, both unfamiliar with Draco, stared in surprise.
Luna, on the other hand, despite being dragged into the situation and effectively becoming one of those involved, simply waved politely at Draco's departing figure, as if seeing off a friend who had to leave early.
Ginny slapped her forehead in frustration, but didn't try to stop him.
She had never expected things to become this complicated, and her thoughts were still a mess.
As for Penelope, who had been trying to stay unnoticed, she paused for a moment before suddenly recalling something. She quickly hurried after the pale blond figure that was about to disappear from sight.
Her instincts told her she needed to understand what Draco was thinking right now.